Don't 'waste' your votes on Congress: Kejriwal to Delhiites

New Delhi, Jan 29 (PTI) AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, urging voters not to "waste" their votes on the grand old party.

Addressing a ‘janasabha’ in the Badli constituency here, Kejriwal accused the Congress of indirectly aiding the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“Why waste your votes on the Congress? The Congress will not win, it will just cut our votes. The Congress and the BJP are fighting this election together to defeat the AAP. Vote to make someone win, not to make someone lose,” he said.

The AAP leader further emphasised his party’s welfare schemes, claiming that 70 per cent of women, according to a survey, support the AAP.

He urged women to convince men in their families to vote for his party, alleging that men often get “distracted” by the BJP and the Congress.

The AAP has fielded its sitting MLA Ajesh Yadav from Badli against Congress’ Delhi unit president Devender Yadav. While Ajesh Yadav has won the seat in the last two elections (2015 and 2020), Devender Yadav had previously held it in 2008 and 2013. The BJP has nominated Deepak Chaudhary as its candidate in the constituency.

Taking on the BJP over the rising ammonia levels in the Yamuna, Kejriwal once again accused the Haryana government of “poisoning” Delhi’s water supply.

“The BJP has crossed all limits in politics. The BJP-led Haryana government has put poison named ammonia in the water. But we saved the people of Delhi by diverting the toxic water. We all are one — the people of Haryana are also us and the people of Delhi are also us,” he said.

Kejriwal’s fresh attack on the Congress comes amid growing rifts within the INDIA alliance.

The fissures deepened on Tuesday when he hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had accused him of being “afraid” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and being involved in the “liquor scam”.

Responding to Gandhi’s remarks, Kejriwal said on X, “Don’t preach on fear and bravery. The country knows who is a coward and who is brave.” He also targeted the Congress over the National Herald case and land-grab allegations against Robert Vadra.

While the AAP and the Congress had joined forces for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, their decision to contest the Delhi Assembly polls separately has exposed underlying tensions.

The Congress, which once ruled Delhi for 15 years under Sheila Dikshit, is campaigning to reclaim lost ground, while the AAP is fending off both the Congress and the BJP.

With polling scheduled for February 5 and results set to be declared on February 8, the political temperature in Delhi continues to rise. While key INDIA allies like Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP) have backed Kejriwal, the Congress is resolute to stage a comeback.

Meanwhile, the BJP, which has been out of power in Delhi for 25 years, is making a determined push to unseat the AAP. PTI MHS AS AS